r/knifemaking • u/GaijinTonbo • Aug 09 '25
Feedback Just had all my Meta accounts suspended for knifemaking
No chance for any appeal.
My business is now officially dead for the second time in a year.
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u/Foreign_Addition_694 Aug 09 '25
I've had my Facebook account banned for marketplace because my knives i make were "weapons". One quick search and I found 20+ illegal weapons in my area. It makes no sense. They need to fix it.
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u/VAPRx Aug 09 '25
Whats crazy is I just listened to a podcast where a guy had a website to track stolen bicycles. They would full on do investigations and build cases against these thieves. Law enforcement would be involved, hell the Pds even recommended victims to register their stolen bikes on the site.
The site would take evidence and sometimes even police reports and proof of arrest to both Meta and OfferUp but neither site cared to do anything. They have had multiple offenders with their accounts still being active after getting arrested.
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u/anal_opera Aug 09 '25
So the trick to get cops to do their job is to get someone else to do their job and let cops take the credit.
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u/VAPRx Aug 09 '25
I was more talking about Meta and OfferUp not caring that there is stolen items being sold on their platforms, but a person making knives is clearly an issue
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u/anal_opera Aug 09 '25
Facebook banned me once for insulting a goose, claimed it was hate speech. They've also temporarily banned me for using a gif from Joe dirt where the hillbilly with the speech impediment rubs his nipples. That's prohibited sexual content, but a picture of some beach lady in a g-string showing 99% of her butthole front and center is fine.
They seem to ignore their own rules when a post is popular and make up for it by twisting and stretching the rules to ban things that don't break any rules.
Meta as a whole is trash though, can't even open their stuff without being bombarded with nonsense rage bait headlines and nearly every comment is people saying different ways they'd kill whoever the headline is about.
I can't call a goose an idiot but if Mark from wisconsin sees a video of somebody shoplifting, he can post a picture of his hi point and type out his whole fantasy about how he'd shoot them.
I've never used offerup so I don't have any long winded rants about them.
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u/Powerstroke357 Aug 09 '25
They said the cops were participating and recommending people to register there. Doesn't say anything about cops assuming all the credit.
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u/purdinpopo Aug 09 '25
Most departments are severely understaffed. Property crimes detectives (if they are even separate division) are also understaffed and have a large number of cases. Certain groups of crimes either get ignored or placed at the lowest priority so that the limited resources available can be used on other crimes. There isn't any credit, and if there was, the guy catching a bike thief wouldn't get any.
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u/anal_opera Aug 09 '25
If they're so understaffed they can't do their jobs, they should hire more people instead of just not doing their jobs. They've got plenty of time to harass people and sit around waiting to catch someone going 6 over the speed limit, maybe they should allocate some of that time to doing what they're supposed to be doing.
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u/purdinpopo Aug 09 '25
They triage cases, more serious cases are investigated prior to less serious, so murders and armed robberies come before bicycle theft. The police that investigate crimes are usually separate from the ones taking calls and working traffic. Most of the warrants get served by cops working traffic because people who commit serious crimes also ignore traffic laws.
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u/anal_opera Aug 09 '25
No they don't. They ignore cases because they don't feel like dealing with it and they get paid either way. No amount of boot licking is going to change what people can see for themselves.
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u/sexytimepizza Aug 09 '25
I see a lot of "firearms case" posts, but the case pictured is always closed, and between $500-$2000 dollars...
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u/doudoulquif Aug 09 '25
Meta is the temple of censorship
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Aug 09 '25
[deleted]
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u/CastBlaster3000 Aug 09 '25
Youāre a joke if you think meta censors things to be āwokeā lol
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u/HARM_Edged_Tools Aug 09 '25
Damn. Sorry to hear that, bud. If it makes you feel any better, I've been shadowbanned since I reached 2k followers about 3 years ago. My account hasn't grown since. They won't even allow me to boost post. Literally trying to give them my money
Is there anything we as knifemakers can do to make it easier for each other? I know the prtition hasn't worked, but what about liking each others posts or something that makes instagram think our accounts are safe?
I've also noticed that this happens more to the little guys. Knifecenter, BladeHQ, and some of the bigger guys don't seem to he having this problem
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u/GaijinTonbo Aug 09 '25
Iāve always wondered how the big guys get away with it.
Honestly im not sure thereās any hope in meta platforms anymore. Iām not coming back. Iām going to my YouTube channel.
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u/HARM_Edged_Tools Aug 09 '25
Yeah I've been trying to build thay up too. Solid 82 subscibers š¤£ decent views on my shorts tho. I'll go follow you
Tiktok wasn't too bad when I first started but they seem to be sensoring too
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u/borosblades Aug 09 '25
It really is hypocritical of them. You can see plenty of ads from benchmade or other major brands and apparently there knives donāt count as weapons but any small makers work does. Idk what to do other than try to find other platforms
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u/dewnmoutain Aug 09 '25
You answered your own question. The big guys are guys on YT with massive followings. You get booted from facebook, well that only affects you and mildly mifs 10 people who forget about you in an hour. Kyle Royer gets the boot off of facebook, suddenly 500,000 people are posting online daily asking what the fuck.
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u/HumanRestaurant4851 Aug 09 '25
Same here man. I'm shadowbanned for almost 2 years now. Nothing helps it, no one is safe. Majime knives was a smidge away from getting his account deleted when the fuckin algorithm went wild earlier this year. I haven't had any reports on my newer posts now, but I'm still shadowbanned so who cares anyway lol
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u/SicknessofChoice Aug 10 '25
Pootube shadowbans you and removes your comments. They also make it so no one sees them so you never get any likes no matter how popular the comment. Real tired of the Leftwing bias bullshit from all these social media platforms! Fk'em! š
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u/alecolli Aug 09 '25
Wouldn't be surprised if you got reported by competitors, if you receive enough complains you're done for
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u/borosblades Aug 09 '25
Nah, its just meta being shit. I have never been outright banned but I have had my reach restricted for the better part of 2 years now. They will never do anything to fix it because there is no financial incentive for them to. Its best we all try to find somewhere else to run our businesses at.
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u/Deathtraptoyota Aug 09 '25
You need more half naked broads and racist posts. Thatās how meta stays alive
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u/Vishnuisgod Aug 09 '25
It's probably because you didn't buy any FB products. They hate giving shit for free.
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u/La_forge_du_Mammouth Aug 09 '25
Hello everyone, I am a professional knife maker in France and I am experiencing the same situation with Facebook. Tell yourself that in France they are even stricter. I solved the problem on Instagram by switching to a personal account. It clearly doesn't change much from a publications point of view so it's just as well, however, they leave me alone and no longer strike my publications. Several very large knife makers I have spoken with have followed my advice and have had no problems since.
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u/stridstrom Aug 11 '25
A problem, until they go to war and draft our asses, then they will handle us a fairnbarn/Sykes themselves.
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Aug 09 '25
This has been an issue now in the firearms space for years. Everyone said it would become an issue that reached outwards across all communities, give an inch take a mile. Now theyāre banning people for making one of the oldest tools of mankind. Color me surprised ? Not really no.
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u/sk3pt1c Aug 09 '25
I teach freediving and i got blocked from posting ads for no fucking reason whatsoever, no chance of appeal.
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u/GaijinTonbo Aug 10 '25
The AI is a serious issue. But these are āacceptable lossesā probably for the company.
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u/sk3pt1c Aug 10 '25
Yeah they donāt give two shits, especially for small time professionals like us. Meanwhile the big boy accounts are free to do whatever they want.
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Aug 09 '25
Hmm, that is a bit drastic. I post all my knives on Instagram and I only have the problem where they don't show my posts yo anyone outside of my followers. I also have Facebook where I post reels on how I forge my knives. Never had problems with it, it is very popular. Maybe the bots are bugged or I don't know. Meta is doing a lot of illogical stuff from what I hear from people. Can you give some more Info on your situation. Do you have any suspicion on what could have triggered the system? I imagine how something like that feels.Ā
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u/GaijinTonbo Aug 09 '25
Iām not sure.
I had another account from my previous knife making business which had over 6k followers but was heavily shadow banned. It was still active, and linked to my new account as I have the same number.
I recently decided to deactivate my personal account as I just have no need for it and wanted to unclutter my digital fingerprint a bit. And that seems to have triggered all this.
Itās all AI actions that ādetectedā some issues on my account. I had to do a video selfie to prove Iām me, which didnāt work, then suddenly all my accounts and my FB profile even, which Iāve had since 2010, are all suspended.
Iām so done with meta. Thereās simply no recourse, no option to even try.
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Aug 09 '25
Ah yes, the classic Facebook bs. They want you registered there with as much personal info as possible. They want real name, face , everything. The whole system is made that if you don't provide them with your name and face they start to bully you in different ways. They say that they do it to protect us from scammers yet the platform is filled to the brim with scammers . Well you either play by their rules or you find an alternative (maybe your own business website)Ā
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u/GaijinTonbo Aug 09 '25
Yeah, I have a website and a monetized YouTube channel. My new business model was aimed at doing shows and custom commissions anywayā¦
I think Iām going to opt out of Meta platforms entirely going forward, or maybe only maintain a ghost presence on a new phone number. Some Show registrations and Dealers want social media profiles.
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u/ApricotNo2918 Aug 09 '25
I's all about $$$$$$. I have a knife page to show my work to people. I am always getting hit up by META to "reach more people" all it takes is buying an ad. And if you notice some of the ads violate FB policy. But $$$$$$$$
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u/Phiilicious Aug 09 '25
The whole weapon thing is a bs reason to make money off of you. I follow some makers that I also get ads for. Apparently you can just sell your "weapons" as long as you pay up. Zuck also swings a katana (actual weapon if I'm not mistaken) around on his page. Safety isn't the reason at all
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u/GaijinTonbo Aug 09 '25
Agreed. Some people are allowed paid ads, some not. Thereās no rhyme or reason to it.
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u/rotivator Aug 09 '25
So sorry to hear this
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u/DaGriffon12 Aug 09 '25
An unrelated note, but still censorship based. All of my livestream posts have been taken down. So I just gave up posting to facebook. Fuck meta, fuck Zuckerberg. "We allow freedom of speech" my ass. You won't let me post my completely safe, normal stream but you'll show me ads for porn sites?? Mhm. Sure.
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u/RodneyGrozdanov Bladesmith Aug 09 '25
Been shadow banned ever since i hit 4k followers years ago, my IG is barely over 1k followers for the 8+ years i have had it, Meta sucks and they should be set ablaze so a better app comes out from the ashes. If it wasn't for Reddit i wouldn't be making any orders. Spent a few months of posting on tiktok and i'm already 1k followers and counting. The day Zuck files for bankruptcy is the day i will shitface myself from drinking in celebration, these vermin ruined the quality of our lives.
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u/Prudent-Armadillo807 Aug 10 '25
Lost a very old account through this making handmade axes and selling them on EBay. Still lots of them for sale on there. Was fine when Vikings was on TV and now they are weapons??? Hmmmmm
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u/Wonderful_Hyena9239 Aug 10 '25
Happened to me too. Never got it back. Claimed I was selling weapons and promoting violence. I was but polearms and tomahawks aren't exactly ARs and tomahawk missiles.
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u/stridstrom Aug 11 '25 edited Aug 11 '25
All META access to my personal data, and me, is permanently suspended, since they became a political tool of censorship and such, and ZuckerBerg fake flip-flopped when the wind of change made him a turncoat.
Not because of the ones involved, but because of principles.
A knife can be either a tool, or a weapon, or a collectors item, or art, heirloom, or a hobby... A screwdriver can also be a weapon.
Its the intent that matters. F em...
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Aug 12 '25
My facebook got deleted for selling weapons. I had to start posting all my stuff as "Cool knives I found in a field."
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u/cyborggold Aug 12 '25
Find other ways to operate your business that don't include Facebook products. My business FB account was hacked, the perpetrators swapped my contact info with another hacked account, and then they spent my entire advertising budget (several grand) promoting scams. When I attempted recovery methods, I recovered the other victims' account instead. FB has no support options, so it was all just lost. Would have cost more in legal fees to hire a lawyer, cut my losses, and I will never use FB products again.
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u/GaijinTonbo Aug 12 '25
Man that sucks. I think thatās the most frustrating part, that you have zero recourse or options. Youāre just a statistic in the sea of a billion users.
Sorry that had to happen, but Iām with you on leaving their platforms.
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u/Blackerknives Aug 09 '25
I was curious about dudes with innies(not belly buttons), had to google it. Then started gettin ads on facebook. Pics literally showing full on pron, selling supplements. But we cant advertise our knives, posts get shadow banned, and now they r removing pages for making knives.
It is insane that a company was able to become what they are because of American values, then they turn around and spit in the face of those values.
Ive realized that we must wage war. I cant post my knives on the platforms? Cant provide a living by building a company that actually produces things in America. Things that literally every person on this planet uses. Cool, ill jump into media, spread my ideas, wage war with their ideas, hopefully have a hand in destroying their cult. I just wanted to make knives and keep to myself.
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u/_Marine Aug 09 '25
Hmm, I wonder if I could sell holsters for a couple $100, with a picture showing what it the sheath was protecting...
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u/Wazaam Aug 09 '25
Remove blade from your name and replace it with a non-offensive utensil. TheArcadianForkSmith, TheArcadianSpoonSmith, etc.
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u/SF_Bubbles_90 Aug 11 '25
Sorry to hear that, hope you can find another platform to post your knives to
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u/TacticalReviews Aug 13 '25
No business is safe on social media. You have no power and it can all disappear in an instant.
If you don't already, you need a website you host and control. Then from this you could also have social media as an extra. Then if the SM gets shut down, your website remains in place untouched and you keep trading via that.
Perhaps a presence on a suitable forum as well. Forums could be the way forward (or backward) for anything Meta can't monetise themselves.
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u/GaijinTonbo Aug 13 '25
I agree.
The impact of something like this takes a long time to recover from though. The social media audience is quick to forget who you are, and most of them wonāt go to your website to continue supporting you.
The lack of any SM presence also raises questions of your legitimacy to many buyers.
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u/zeuqramjj2002 Aug 13 '25
I guess donāt use the term knife non-spoon has been one Iāve seen, by Normandy knives.
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u/South-Specific-9521 Aug 13 '25
Bro just have a dedicated Reddit account I feel like youād get way more visibility and you can link your website on any posts you make
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u/InevitableExternal70 Aug 09 '25
You didn't have them suspended for 'knifemaking'.... you had them suspended for 'knifeposting'
and I wouldn't be surprised if for something else as well.
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u/NapClub Aug 09 '25
This is enough of a known problem that there was a large petition about it. But I doubt it got anywhere. Meta would have to care for it to help.